Rearguard action by FF/publican lobby

IN the same week that Micheál Martin announced the creation of another of Fianna Fail’s endless stream of quangos

a rehashed consumer protection body to protect us from monopolists the FF/publican lobby were fighting a desperate rearguard action against one of Michael McDowell's more sensible endeavours to remove the exclusivity of supply of alcohol from wealthy publicans/monopolists who renew expensive licences yearly for the privilege of profiting from an intoxicating and addictive substance.

We are presented with 'studies' to the effect that this liberalisation of the drinking laws will turn us into a race of alcoholics, despite the fact that every other country in Europe the UK excluded provides for an alcoholic beverage in every café, restaurant and fast food outlet in the land without this unhappy metamorphosis.